I'm thinking about getting another car so I can work on my cobalt. My friend's dad has this acclaim with a 2.5l non-turbo with an auto transmission. He stopped driving it because it started over heating one day about 3-4 years ago. Been parked since then. No oil/coolant mixing, not using coolant. He pulled the t-stat out and he said it still over heated. He thinks it dropped # 3 clyinder. I heard it run tonight for about 2 mins and it sounded fine, but i'll be checking it out better tomorrow. Its rust free. he bought another motor about 2 years ago at my buddies junk yard but never picked it up, but the motor is still there sitting in a shed. I can get the motor... So worse case scenario I switch the motors...

Any ideas whats wrong with the current motor? I've never really messed with Chrysler...

400 dollars and all that labor for a $500 car. Take the $400 and put it in the bank and save for a running car with no issues. Sounds like way too many issues that would burn up a majority of your free time to enjoy a sound running car.

^Unless he has my problem, spending too much you'd be lucky to come out even haha. Different story for me though lolz. I would set a budget though man, cause it sucks dumping money into a car that isn't technically worth it. I coulda got a decent used car for what i put into my rebuild, though alot was not me faults, my dad shopped for me alittle and that is what ran my bill up. Had I known what he was buying and for how much before hand(I paid it all back as agreed) I woulda stopped the build and just went and bought a 2nd car.

But eh, yours just sounds like a simple fix, find out the overheating problem and if still a problem, you have another motor already, so woot!

speaking from experience... (my boys big into chrysler fwd 4 bangers..) NOT WORTH YOUR TIME!!! those 2.2/2.5s are J U N K .. if there not leaking massive amounts of oild from the valve cover... then there burning it threw the grappy pistion rig setup... not worthit man... not by a long shot